The Impact of Instructional Approaches, Systematic Phonics Instruction and Word Study, on Second Grade Students’ Spelling Development

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of instructional approaches, systematic phonics instruction and word study, on second grade students’ spelling development. The measurement tool used in this study was the Primary Spelling Inventory (PSI) from the Words Their Way series. The PSI consists of a list of 26 words that begins with simple CVC words (e.g., fan, pet) and ends with inflected endings (e.g., clapping, riding). This study involved the use of a pretest/posttest design to compare data from September of 2015 (before the intervention was administered) to data from March of 2016 (after the intervention was complete). Achievement gains were made in both the systematic and word study groups, however, there were significant differences in favor of the word study group. These results could be attributed to a number of factors. Research in the area of spelling development should continue given the disagreement over best practices. It is important that students have strong spelling skills as they will be used to communicate effectively in writing and will contribute to their development as readers.